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Subject: FCC Support for Disabilities on Websites (Closed Captioning
Author: www-talk@w3.org at Internet
Date: 07/12/95 19:07
In light of the Disabilities Access Workshop to be held at the WWW Conference
this week, I thought this news release might be of interest to everyone.
Regards,
Mike Paciello
From: US2RMC::"larry_goldberg@wgbh.org" "Larry Goldberg" 7-DEC-1995
13:20:48.60
To: distribution:;@us2rmc.zko.dec.com (see end of body)
CC:
Subj: FCC NOI
Subject: Time:12:27
OFFICE MEMO FCC NOI Date:12/7/95
At this week's Captioning Symposium that the CPB/WGBH National Center for
Accessible Media (NCAM) held in NYC, FCC chairman Reed Hundt announced a
Notice of Inquiry regarding captioning and video description. This is a major
initiative that could lead to a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and eventual FCC
regulations. Comments are due Jan. 29, 1996.
The lead paragraph of the NOI press release reads (full press release and full
electronic version of the NOI is or will soon be on the FCC's website -
www.fcc.gov - under the Mass Media Bureau):
"The FCC has issued a historic Notice of Inquiry regarding two services that
benefit millions of Americans with disabilities: closed captioning and video
description of television programming. The Commission seeks comment on the
current availability, cost, and uses of these two services. It also requests
the public's views on the appropriate means of promoting the wider use of
closed captioning and video description in programming delivered by television
broadcasters, cable operators, and other video program providers."
A very interesting side-note is that this NOI is the first time a web site has
been cited in an FCC document for a footnote or resource and it is GBH's Web
site that is cited!
<<<<<< Attached TEXT file named "NOI-release" follows >>>>>>
NEWS Report No. MM 95-115
MASS MEDIA ACTION
December 4, 1995
FCC LAUNCHES HISTORIC INQUIRY ON PROMOTING CLOSED CAPTIONING AND
VIDEO DESCRIPTION OF VIDEO PROGRAMMING
The FCC has issued a historic Notice of Inquiry regarding two services that
benefit millions of Americans with disabilities: closed captioning and video
description of television programming. The Commission seeks comment on the
current availability, cost, and uses of these two services. It also requests
the public's views on the appropriate means of promoting the wider use of
closed captioning and video description in programming delivered by television
broadcasters, cable operators, and other video program providers.
Legislation currently pending in Congress would, for the first time, generally
mandate the closed captioning of television video programming, and also would
require the FCC to study the uses of video description. The record developed
in this proceeding will enable the Commission to expedite the implementation
of this legislation if enacted into law.
Closed captioning provides important benefits primarily for individuals with
hearing disabilities by displaying the audio portion of a television signal as
printed words on the television screen. Video description is a more recent
innovation that benefits individuals with vision disabilities. It provides
audio descriptions of a program's key visual elements that are inserted during
the natural pauses in the program's dialogue.
There are presently no Commission rules regarding video description. As for
closed captioning, the Commission has adopted a number of rules to promote
closed captioning technology. In 1976, it adopted rules reserving line 21 of
the vertical blanking interval for the transmission of closed captioning. In
1991, it adopted rules implementing the Television Decoder Circuitry Act,
which generally requires television receivers that are 13 inches or larger to
be equipped with circuitry capable of receiving and displaying closed
captioning.
The Notice of Inquiry, which was initiated by and coordinated with the
Commission's Disabilities Issues Task Force and Mass Media Bureau, seeks
comment on the following general issues:
1. The public interest benefits of closed captioning and video description;
2. The current availability of closed captioned and video described television
programming, including the degree to which availability varies by program
source, program type, market size and other factors;
3. The potential impact of advanced television and digital technologies on the
availability of closed captioning and video description;
4. The cost of closed captioning and video description, as well as the
current sources of supply and funding for these services;
5. The market incentives for closed captioning and video description;
6. What if any measures the Commission should take to promote closed
captioning and video description; and
7. In the event mandatory requirements are deemed necessary, the general form
that they should take.
The item seeks comment on which entities should be subject to such
requirements, appropriate exemptions from any requirements, technical and
quality standards, transition mechanisms, and strategies to improve
competition and innovation in the provision of these services.
Comments are due to the FCC on January 29, 1996 and reply comments on February
14, 1996.
Action by the Commission December 1, 1995 by Notice of Inquiry (FCC 95-484).
Chairman Hundt and Commissioners Quello, Barrett, Ness and Chong.
- FCC -News Media contact: Kara Palamaras at (202) 418-0500.
Mass Media Bureau contact: Charles W. Logan at (202) 776-1653.